The American War of Independence was neither a declared war of rebellion nor a battle for independence at the point when the Second Continental Congress met in May 1775 to determine a strategy of colonial unity and military opposition to the British occupation of Massachusetts. Among the Virginia delegates to the congress was Colonel George Washington, the most seasoned soldier in the colonies as a member of the British army that had fought and won the French and Indian War (1754–63; part of a larger conflict known in Europe as the Seven Years’ War) fifteen years earlier. Washington’s career as a soldier and his disarmingly modest disposition commanded respect from the delegates. Beneath the disposition, though, Washington maintained a measure of ambition: he showed up in Philadelphia for the conference wearing a blue military uniform of his own design, clearly displaying his intentions for the future. The colonial forces in Boston had almost no training, the soldiers’ guns and ammunition were their own, and despite their successes at the battles of Lexington and Concord, they had no military leaders who knew anything more about strategy or tactics in the field than the average minuteman. While there was some debate over whether a New England militia should continue to be led by New England officers, the congressional delegates came to agreement fairly quickly that a true continental army needed officers and soldiers from all the colonies, and that a leader from Virginia, the largest and most heavily populated colony, would inspire unity. Washington was chosen as commander in chief over Boston’s John Hancock, and for the sake of appearance, the delegates were pressured to make the vote unanimous. Upon receiving the news of his nomination as commander in chief, Washington made this speech to the Congress on June 16, 1775. Three days later, he accepted his commission and was off to Boston to lead the new Continental Army in rebellion against British forces